Chapter 53: Dynamics Of Self Flashcards
What is the understanding of the self
It is the core that underlies all our experiences where the self is fundamental to our experiences but also as something that condenses from our experiences where we view the self as that which is consistent within our experiences
What is self construction and what areas of conflict does it include
The process of self construction is characterized by moments of ambivalence and the dynamic way in which we construct ourselves in these moments.
This brings our attention to 4 areas of conflict
Self insight Vs self deception
Self regard Vs self disregard
Self identity Vs self alienation
Self autonomy Vs self collectivity
Discuss what self insight Vs self deception is
Self insight refers to how much insight one has about oneself within the limit that one is able to know oneself.
We have self insight if we display more self insight than self deception and we lack self insight if our self deception is greater than self insight.
The self forms and grows from the tension between what we know about ourselves and what others know about us. We have a high degree of self insight if what we know about ourselves corresponds to what others know about us and lack self insight if there are discrepancies between our self knowledge and the knowledge others have of us.
Explain the the concept of self knowledge and knowledge others have of you
More knowledge means more insight but less knowledge means a higher possibility of deception because it’s easier to deceive in the absence of knowledge.
To increase insight knowledge has to increase. The more you know about yourself and the more others know about you the higher the level of insight.
State and explain the 4 types of self knowledge
The common denominator between what you know about yourself and what others know about you is called knowledge
Open knowledge reflects the degree of correspondence between self knowledge and the knowledge others have of you. It shows the degree of insight and to increase self insight you have to work on decreasing blinded knowledge and hidden knowledge
To decrease blinded knowledge you have to listen to what others tell you about yourself and to decrease hidden knowledge you have to provide others with knowledge about yourself. One must adopt critical self reflection and have clear and honest interpersonal communication about your ideas and feelings to others and to decrease unknown knowledge you must discover formerly unknown aspects of oneself.
Discuss self regard Vs self disregard
A basic need of humans is to feel worthy in the eyes of others and want then to treat us with respect because it reflects on the way in which we experience ourselves.
If we are always ignored or treated with contempt it’s hard to experience self worth because we need the acceptance of others to feel appreciated and need to feel that others like us for who we are.
What does self regard refer
Self regard is the general feeling we have about ourselves where some people feel more positive about themselves they are more positive about their abilities and seen to have an implicit trust of other people.
People with lower levels of self regard may have experienced rejection more than those with higher levels of self regard and those with lower levels find it hard to distinguish between failure in a task and failure as a person by equating the two together.
What are the disadvantages and advantages of self regard
Low levels of self regard can create a vicious cycle where the person with low self regard expects negative outcomes and puts little effort into the exercise leading to anxiety which causes the person to perform poorly and increases the chance of failure which confirms feelings of low self regard
When a person has higher level of self regard it causes greater success because they have expectations of success which lead to higher levels of effort, lowered feelings of anxiety a higher probability of success and confirms self worth.
Evaluate what is meant by self identity Vs self alienation
Self identity refers to the identification of and with the self.
Strong self identification means knowing who one is ( identification of the self) and being satisfied with this ( identification with the self) and one’s self identity has a cognitive component being the knowledge about oneself as well as an emotional component being content with oneself.
What is self alienation
Self alienation occurs when you feel that you don’t know who you are meaning that you have feelings of estrangement as being a stranger to yourself.
Self alienation can be accompanied by feelings of anxiety and in some cases indicates a psychopathological condition.
Discuss the relationship between self identity and self alienation
Both are fundamental in the construction of the self.
Self identification is the process of reflection where the self is reflected to itself where any process of reflection contains a moment of alienation because when the self is reflected it’s also alienated from itself.
Explain lacans mirror stage theory
He explained the development of identity through one’s reflection in a mirror. When a child recognises itself in a mirror it looks from inside itself and sees it’s exterior from the mirror. The child identifies itself but isn’t the interior form that appears in front of it. In the moment in which the child identifies with itself it’s already alienated from itself in the sense that it sees the outside of itself.
What is needed in self construction
In constructing ourselves we have to be open to what’s outside ourselves but conversely we can’t construct ourselves if we’re totally alienated from ourselves where we’re totally open to what’s outside ourselves.
It takes place in between the 2 extremes of being totally closed off and totally open to what’s outside ourselves. The consequences is that one can show narcissistic tendencies if one focuses too much on themselves and constructs themselves in isolation from others but if one is too open to what’s outside they likely to be over dependent on others and over anxious being in danger of losing perspective of reality.
Comment of the process of self recognition
It’s recognising ourselves in the image of ourselves that’s reflected back to us in our social milieu by seeing ourselves in the comments that others make about us and through the effects and consequences of our behaviour. We look from inside ourselves but the image that’s reflected is an indication of what we look like from the outside.
The inside image is our personal identity and the outside is our social identity. In constructing ourselves we have to balance and align our personal identity with our social identity.
Discuss the autonomous self and the collective self
Self identity involves contemplating who we are and can be answered in 2 ways the first focuses on the self as an individual entity and the second considers the self in relation to others.
A healthy self means somebody is autonomous and independent from others however the self should be inclusive of others and find it’s worth in relation to others. The 1st being an autonomous self and second being a collective self.
